Healthy or hyped? Wheatgrass juice is the health tonic of the moment, but where's the evidence for its benefits?(REPORT: Wheatgrass juice)(Product/service evaluation)

Publication: Choice (Chippendale, Australia)

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Australian Consumers' Association

It's difficult not to be cynical about something that's claimed to be good for pretty much everything. If you believe the hype, wheatgrass can nourish the blood and detoxify poisons, purify the liver, rebuild the bloodstream, boost energy and immunity, play a role in keeping teeth and bones strong, melt excess fat in your system, help treat acne and even keep your hair from going grey--and all before breakfast. (It's generally recommended you drink wheatgrass juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach for best effects.)

The websites of wheatgrass juice, kits and juicer sellers are overflowing with testimonials from people whose lives have been improved by taking wheatgrass. Good-quality evidence to support the claims is another story. We searched the medical literature for the evidence on wheatgrass to see which claims, if any, could be substantiated. Not true.

It's reported that the origin of this claim dates back to the 1930s when the 'father of wheatgrass', Charles F Schnabel, supposedly said, "Fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equivalent to 350 pounds of the choicest vegetables." Certainly wheatgrass has some nutritional value, but not to that extent.

We compared the nutrients in a shot of wheatgrass juice with a similar...

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